How much super you need to set up an SMSF is very contentious issue. It has been the subject of considerable analysis from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Productivity Commission. However, there are still no clear answers. In this article, we’ll ... Read more
Comparing super funds
If there was a silver lining to the recent Financial Services Royal Commission’s, it’s that it made Australians more aware that some super funds have not been serving their members well.
If you would like to know more about your super fund and how it rates but don’t know where to start, we have put together a series of articles to help you do just that.
Follow the links below to find out how to compare funds and how to rate your fund against the best on offer. We also have a guide to the types of super fund on offer, their strengths and limitations.
Click on the links below for more information on comparing super funds:
- Types of super funds
- MySuper and your super
- How to compare super funds in 7 easy steps
- Choosing a super fund (fund choice)
- Guide to the Superannuation Standard Choice Form
- Investment performance
- Super fees and charges
- Insurance and super
- Considering an SMSF
Below are some of our key Comparing super funds articles:
Set out below are all SuperGuide articles that relate to Comparing super funds.
Superannuation funds: Does size really matter?
When it comes to choosing a superannuation fund, it’s natural to think that big is better. After all, it’s a handy rule of thumb that works for a lot of things in life and it’s one way to simplify the choice you need to make between dozens of different super funds. But does being big really make a super fund ... Read more
Super funds of the year awards: Best super funds for 2018/2019
You can find a lot of articles on SuperGuide about the top performing or cheapest super funds (see the list at the bottom of this article). While these factors are very important when you are comparing super funds, they are not the be-all and end-all. The major super research houses (Chant West, Rainmaker and ... Read more
Risk profiling and your investment choice
Investments exist on a risk spectrum. The higher the return, the higher the risk. So, your comfort with different levels of risk is crucial in determining what kind of assets you can, and should, invest in. You might already have a reasonable idea of whether or not you’re aggressive or conservative when it comes to ... Read more
What are lifecycle super funds, and how do they perform?
Click here to jump to the latest returns for lifecycle super funds. Close to 70% of Australians with super in one of the major funds are invested in their fund’s MySuper option, the default option for employees who don’t choose a super fund. If you are a member of a retail fund, this is most likely a lifecycle product ... Read more
Monthly super fund performance Reckoner: Monthly returns for 5 investment categories
In our reckoner below you can view the median monthly investment returns for 5 superannuation investment options. We’re grateful to Chant West for providing the statistics that power the reckoner. See also: Super fund performance: Monthly returns to April 2019 Important: Superannuation is a long-term investment. While ... Read more
Super fund performance: Monthly returns to April 2019
In this article you can learn the monthly performance for super funds over 5 investment options going back to July 2015. We’re grateful to Chant West for providing the statistics in this article. For annual and long-term super fund performance see the following SuperGuide articles: Super fund performance: Financial ... Read more
What are defined benefit super funds?
There’s lots of jargon in the super system and even when it comes to something as simple as the different types of super funds, it can be hard to know what they are and how they work. One of the key differences you need to understand when comparing two super funds is whether the fund is a defined benefit or an ... Read more
Selecting your super fund: Can I make the choice?
Life is full of choices and the super system is no different. But there is one area where not everybody has a choice and that’s when it comes to selecting the super fund into which their employer directs the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contributions they make on their behalf. Most Australians – whatever the industry ... Read more
Asset Sector Performance Reckoner
SuperGuide’s Asset Sector Performance reckoner allows you to compare the investment performance of various asset classes over the short, medium and long term. The reckoner covers 12 asset classes over 1, 3 and 5 years and, where available, also over 7, 10 and 15 years. The asset classes and maximum performance ... Read more
Super funds with the lowest fees for life and TPD insurance
According to the recent Productivity Commission (PC) report on superannuation, approximately 12 million Australians have some type of insurance through their super, and insurance within super accounts for just under half of the total market for life, TPD (total and permanent disability) and Income Protection ... Read more
Best performing pension funds over 5 calendar years (to December 2018)
According to the 10/30/60 rule, 60% of your retirement income comes from the investment returns you achieve during your retirement. While this rule originated from a US study, the principle holds broadly true for Australian retirees and underlines how important it is to continue to earn a good investment return in your ... Read more
Best performing super funds over 5 calendar years (to December 2018)
Being in a good performing super fund is one of the key factors for growing your super balance. The recent Productivity Commission (PC) review of superannuation identified that members of consistently poor performing funds would have substantially lower super balances at retirement. The PC produced an example of a ... Read more
Asset sector performance: Returns over 1 to 15 financial years (to June 2018)
In this article you can discover the investment performance for 12 different asset classes over various timeframes. For all asset classes there is data for 1, 3 and 5 financial years, and for most asset classes there is also data over 7, 10 and 15 financial years. Note: A financial year covers 1 July to 30 June the ... Read more
Which are the largest super funds?
Superannuation is now very much super-sized. At December 2018 there was $2.6 trillion invested in super. That’s significantly more than the $1.8 trillion that could buy you Australia’s top 200 companies on the ASX. And with 9.5% of everyone’s wages being added each year, it’s projected to grow to $4.8 trillion by ... Read more